Cat Sitting
by Alara's Tale
Summary: Fluff. I don't know what else to tell you. Just a cute little one-shot for Valentine's Day that has somehow turned into a three-shot. Takano and Ritsu have an encounter when Takano needs someone to take care of Sorata.
1. Chapter 1

**Susan: Hey! Happy Valentine's Day! This is just a cute little one-shot, so I hope you enjoy the fluffiness! I don't own Sekai ichi Hatsukoi or any of the characters, I'm just messing with them. This is for my friend Alara, cause she seems to have been on a kick for this show lately.**

"Leave me alone Takano." Ritsu growled, moving to close his door. His neighbor, boss and personal sexual harasser was holding the small cat out in front of him like a tribute. The shorter man grimaced, not understanding the man's persistence.

"Listen Ritsu, I know you think that I'm just trying to get you to talk to me, but I need your help. I just got a call and I have to leave for Ninohe in the Iwate prefecture for the next few days. I need you to take care of Sorata until I get back." Takano pleaded, or at least as close as he got to pleading.

"Get Yokozawa to take care of him." Ritsu tried to close his door, but the older man had wedged his foot between the door and its frame, something that he'd become quite good at. "Good night Takano." Ritsu was trying to keep his temper and not just hit his boss before slamming the door.

"He can't take him! Yokozawa is with Kirishima and his daughter Hiyori and says that he can't be bothered."

"So instead you are going to bother me?" Ritsu cried, his irritation increasing until he couldn't keep his grip on it.

"Why are you being so stubborn? It's not like I'm asking you to admit your feelings about me!" By this time Takano had moved so that he was standing fully in the doorway, the door now pushed completely open so Ritsu couldn't hide partially behind it like he had been.

"No, you just try to get me to do that every other time that we talk!"

"So you admit that you have feelings for me?" Takano's voice dropped till it was something akin to a purr and Ritsu instinctively took a step back, trying to put more space between the two of them.

"No! Of course not! All I feel for you is irritation and the beginnings of hate because you can't just accept that I don't love you."

"There is that quote about love and hate being barely decipherable from one another. Are you sure you aren't just mixing the two up?"

"I'm sure that I can distinguish my emotions without you weighing in on it. I'll take the damn cat, but get out of my home!" Snatching the cat out of Takano's hands and cradling it to his chest with one hand, Ritsu used his other to shove his surprised ex-lover out the door before slamming it closed with a satisfying _~thunk!~_ "Your owner is absolutely mental." He murmured to Sorata who just looked at him with bored eyes. "But I'm guessing you already knew that..."

"So what am I supposed to do with you now? Did you already eat? Have you been out? Wait, you're a cat, meaning you use a litter box. Meaning I need your litter box and other things from Takano's." Ritsu sighed, holding the cat to his chest like a shield as he opened his door again and glanced outside. His neighbor's door was wide open, and Ritsu steeled himself before stepping inside the much cleaner apartment. "Takano?" he called quietly, not really sure if he wanted a response.

"I figured you'd be over soon." The other man's voice rumbled from the kitchen area where he held a can of cat food and a bowl, appearing to be in the process of preparing Sorata's dinner. "You don't actually have to keep him with you, just come over in the mornings and evenings to feed him and play with him if he feels like it. His food is under the sink with his litter, and his box is over in the corner." Nodding, Ritsu let Sorata out of his arms and watched as the cat immediately went to Takano.

"When will you be back?" Ritsu mumbled, embarrassed by his earlier actions.

"Wednesday. Thursday at the latest." The older man disappeared into his bedroom, returning momentarily with a small suitcase and a key. Ritsu followed Takano to the door, not daring to look him in the face. Takano smiled down at him as he dropped the key into Ritsu's hand and after slipping on his coat, he touched Ritsu's hair briefly. The movement quickly turned into a grip on the back of Ritsu's neck so that the head editor could kiss the shorter man chastely. It was so quick that Ritsu didn't even have time to react before Takano had stepped back, murmured goodbye, and walked out of the door.

Staring at the now closed door, Ritsu felt his jaw drop for a few seconds before he growled, turning away. "I hate your owner." He told the cat who was paying more attention to his food than than the speaking man.

Other than a quick run over to Takano's apartment in the morning and some half-awake playing in the evening with Sorata, Ritsu didn't change his day very much. Despite being at the end of a cycle, Ritsu was still exhausted at the end of each day. Wednesday came and went, as did Thursday. By Friday Ritsu was getting both irritated and worried. Takano hadn't responded to any of his texts, emails, or even the two voicemail messages he'd left. The added emotions were wearing down Ritsu, leaving him to collapse onto his couch, or on Friday evening onto Takano's, to watch some TV and drift in and out of sleep. Sorata was playing at his feet but eventually ended up curled upon his lap.

When Takano finally did get home, furious with his newest artist who didn't even look like he was out of high school, he slammed the door shut behind him. The kid had a total melt down after his last storyboard critique and the older editor had to go and talk things out with the boy. He had talent, and very good ideas for where his stories would go, which were some of the only reasons that Takano hadn't decided to kick his ass into gear or fire him. There was also that fact that the kid reminded Takano of his high school boyfriend, which both endeared the artist to the older man, but also just reminded the editor about how Ritsu continued to deny that they cared for each other.

Takano dropped his bag in the entrance of his apartment, sighing as he toed off his shoes. He was surprised that there was another pair of shoes, but smirked when he realized they must've been Ritsu's. It was quite late, well past 2 AM. He should've been home and asleep by now. "Ritsu?" Takano called, surprised when he didn't hear an answer immediately. Walking farther into his home, the older man smiled slightly, catching sight of the man he loved on his couch with his cat.

Too tired to move Ritsu to his bed, Takano decided to grab a thick blanket from his closet. He took a few moments to dig through his bag, finally pulling out a small box with a fuchsia ribbon and placing it on the table directly in front of Ritsu before curling up beside the sleeping man. "I love you. Happy Valentine's Day." He whispered, placing a gentle kiss to the top of Ritsu's head.

**Susan: HA! THERE! DONE! I should not find meeting a deadline so exhilarating...I seriously need a life, and not the one I've been having for the last few years. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this and have a Happy Valentine's Day! And for those who don't have a valentine, ahem me ahem, go have a blast with your buddies, eat tons of chocolate, and devour a pot of chocolate fondue with pound cake and strawberries!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Su: Soooo...Alara kinda talked me into writing a second chapter, as did multiple reviewers who wanted to know what was in the box. Alara says she's going to write another chapter for one of her PruCan fics I've been bugging her about for a good year or so in exchange for me writing this, just another bit of incentive. I hope that this chapter isn't terrible or ruin the story. It was supposed to be a one-shot, but I guess it's going to have a second chapter. It may even have a third if Alara will make another deal with me. I didn't think that people would like the story so much, so I was really surprised! I still don't own Sekaiichi Hatsukoi but I'm really wishing I did right now so that I could lord it over Alara until she wrote more! Enjoy the awkwardness that is Ritsu/Takano..**

When Ritsu woke up in the morning, it took him a few moments to figure out where he was. As soon as he did though, he shot off the couch, immediately bashing his knee into the coffee table. "Damn it!" Ritsu hopped around for a little while, until he heard a smothered laugh, drawing his attention back to the couch and the lump that was now taking up the majority of it. "You're late!"

"What?" Takano asked, sticking his head out from beneath the blankets and blinking owlishly at the brown-haired male.

"You said that you'd be back by Wednesday, and it's Saturday! Where were you? Why didn't you-"

"Why didn't I what?" Takano got up, moving to stand in front of Ritsu. His lips twisted into a smirk. "Were you worried about me?" The older man rested his hands on Ritsu's upper arms, leaning closer to the brown-haired boy.

"What! Of course not! I was stuck watching your damn cat for longer than I agreed to! Where the hell were you?" Ritsu shoved Takano away, his face quickly turning red.

"Somehow I don't think that this is about me not coming back on time. Was it because I didn't return your calls? Is that what's gotten you so upset?" Ritsu made a meek little sound as he raised his hands, waving them frantically.

"N-NO!" Ritsu's face came to rest in his hands, hiding him from the older man's gaze.

"You don't have to lie to me Ritsu." Takano chuckled quietly, not really trying to hide it from Ritsu as he reached down and grabbed the present off of the table. The black-haired man took a hold of one of Ritsu's hands and placed the box in it. "Now open it."

"What?" The younger man hadn't seen the present when he'd gotten up, more focused on the fact that he'd slept in Takano's apartment and that the man had returned sometime while he was asleep.

"Come on, just open it." Ritsu made a face at the older man's demanding tone, and the grin that had been increasing, but pulled the ribbon off and slowly opened the little white package, revealing a velvet blue box within that caused Ritsu to swallow loudly.

"Takano, what is this? If it's an apology for being late, it's way too much! I just watched Sorata for a few more days." As Ritsu tried to stutter his way out of accepting what was clearly a jewelry box, Takano's smirk diminished.

The older man sighed, shaking his head slightly as he took the box from Ritsu and opened it himself. He returned the package to the brown-haired man whose jaw dropped, his eyes going wide. "Happy Valentine's Day." Takano murmured, picking up the gold chain and eventually pulling the emerald pendant from the velvet.

While Ritsu was still shell-shocked, Takano managed to clasp the necklace. As he pulled back, the taller man placed a gentle kiss to Ritsu's cheek. He was trying to gauge Ritsu's reaction to the necklace, unsure if he was going to be yelled at again or if the younger man would willingly respond to the romantic feeling being portrayed. The necklace wasn't overtly feminine, but definitely wasn't something that screamed masculine. With a small emerald hanging just below his collarbone, Ritsu's eyes were practically glowing, and the gold chain made him seem even paler. Overall, Takano was very satisfied with his choice.

"T-Takano, I-but, why?" Ritsu's fragmented, barely coherent words nearly made the older man laugh, but Takano managed not to for fear of angering the younger editor.

"When will you start listening? I love you. My feelings for you have never gone away. And I refuse to believe your love for me has changed." Takano held his breath, waiting for Ritsu's temper to make itself known again.

"You're the idiot who doesn't listen." Ritsu mumbled, his hands covering his face, trying to hide the prominent blush that had taken it over.

"That may be, but I'm a charming idiot. Do you like the necklace?" Takano pulled Ritsu's hands away, gripping them tightly so that his almost lover wouldn't be tempted to use them to avoid looking at him.

"I-it's very nice, but I'm not sure-"

"Good." Ritsu flinched back a little as Takano leaned closer. "I'm glad you like it."

"Takano, just wait a second!" Making sure to keep some distance between himself and the other man, Ritsu crossed his arms. "I don't even know what we are doing here!"

"Let me make you dinner tonight." The younger man's jaw dropped and his cheeks flushed even more.

"Can you even cook?" Takano balked before beginning to laugh. The older one even ended up resting his head on Ritsu's shoulder as he continued to chuckle, not even trying to get himself under control as Ritsu watched with confusion and moved his arms to his sides, unsure of what to do with them. When Takano finally did stop, he nodded.

"Yes, I can in fact cook, though we might want to get something as a back up. When you're around, I tend to get distracted."

Whatever Ritsu would have said in response was cut off by Sorata meowing loud enough to wake the dead as he sunk his claws into the older man's leg, causing him to yelp. "Damn it Sorata!" While Takano cursed out his cat, hopping around in an attempt to shake the feline free, the romantic moment the two men had been having dissipated, leaving Ritsu uncomfortably fiddling with the emerald necklace.

**Su: I guess now that I've written this piece and left it off here, I'm going to have to write the dinner scene, if only for my own feeling of completion. I hate leaving things unfinished, and this story doesn't have the same sense of finality that I had going (for me at least) with the end of the last chapter. Thanks for reading and if you've got a minute to review, I'll adore you even more!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Su: OKAY PEOPLE! This is the last part of my one-shot turned three-shot of Takano/Ritsu awkwardness and adorableness! Still don't own sekai ichi hatsukoi or else I would've probably stuck this in the actual manga/show. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it! Alara has read this over, so all mistakes are on her! Actually, I think I'm in a good enough mood to put blame where it is due, so any problems/mistakes you find are my fault. Please let me know so that I can fix them!**

Ritsu pulled nervously at his shirtsleeves, trying to straighten the dress shirt. "Why did I agree to this? I should've just told him no. Why did I even accept the necklace?" The boy reached up to remove the emerald but his hands were stopped by a knock on his apartment door.

"Ritsu, are you ready yet?" Takano called, a smile on his face as he heard stumbling and quiet swearing through the door.

"What Takano?" Ritsu glared, opening his door and peaking out at his stalker.

"Dinner is almost done. Are you going to join me any time soon?" As the older man smirked, Ritsu shuffled his feet.

"You know, I'm not actually feeling too good, maybe I shouldn't come over and infect-!" the smaller man was cut off as Takano dragged him barefoot from the apartment and into the hall, planting a quick kiss on his lips.

"There, now I'm already infected so there's nothing to worry about." At Ritsu's expression Takano couldn't halt his laugh. When the look turned to outrage however, the older male quickly silenced himself. "I'm glad you're wearing the necklace."

Ritsu was going through emotions faster than a southern girl could try on outlandish hats and was returning to flustered and nervous. _This is insane! This isn't how things are supposed to go! I shouldn't have said yes._ The younger man was too busy ranting in his head to realize that Takano had moved them into his own apartment where food could be smelled cooking.

Takano left the emotionally distraught male in the entryway while he continued into the small kitchen and took the pot of nikujaga off of the stove, opening the lid to stir it and steal a piece of beef, testing for tenderness. After checking on the rice, which needed another minute and pulling out the necessary dishes as well as a bottle of nice sake, Takano looked at Ritsu, who still hadn't moved. "Ritsu," he shook his head and grabbed the younger's hand, pulling him down to the small living room. A quick glance around placed Sorata on a pillow in the corner having not yet taken an interest in Ritsu's presence.

"Sit down Ritsu." He blushed, ducking his head as he followed his boss's orders, staring at his hands in his lap as the black-haired male served the food. Takano watched Ritsu closely, trying to decipher if he was just skittish or really didn't want to be there. "If you don't like it, I have some sushi in the fridge that I picked up this afternoon."

Once Takano had taken his seat, placing the food-laden dishes before himself and his guest, the two slowly began to eat. To say it was awkward would have been a rude understatement with the no noise other than the quiet clacks of their eating. Each time Takano made a move to speak, Ritsu's head sunk closer to the table. Finally Takano just reached across the table and nudged the younger's face up gently with his knuckles.

"Stop hiding from me." He murmured even as Ritsu tried to pull away from his touch.

"I'm not hiding." Ritsu growled, attempting to retain his dignity.

"You won't look at me. I consider that hiding." When Ritsu forced himself to look at Takano, he saw that the older man was not wearing his usual smirk but instead had a troubled expression gracing his face.

"You're a surprisingly good cook." The green-eyed male mumbled after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm." Noticing that Ritsu's cup of sake was nearly empty, Takano filled it again, hoping that the alcohol would relax the high-strung man he was in love with. "I had to learn at some point. People can't survive solely on take-out, protein shakes and power bars."

A small giggle escaped Ritsu's lips, taking both men by surprise. "I'm starting to figure that out." Ritsu hesitantly glanced up, smiling, and Takano returned the look with a grin of his own. Dinner progressed, the pair idly chatting about work and the older attempting to convince Ritsu to learn how to cook. Sorata made his way over, curling up on Ritsu' lap and pawing at his stomach, demanding attention.

"How was your trip?" Ritsu asked eventually, taking a sip of sake while looking up at Takano through his eyelashes, still mostly hiding from the older male.

"Fine." Takano was going to leave it with that before he realized that this was one way to keep Ritsu talking and lead into the conversation they needed to have. "He reminded me of you."

Ritsu perked up at that, his interest piqued. "Why?"

"You're both stubborn." The brown-haired man opened his mouth to object but didn't get a chance as Takano continued. "And brilliant. But you're definitely much cuter." The wink Takano sent Ritsu's way just made the younger choke on the large gulp of sake he'd been trying to chug in response to the older man's first comment about him being cuter than the manga artist. When Ritsu finally did manage to swallow the liquid, he proceeded to stutter a bit before deciding more alcohol was needed to deal with the ramblings of his boss/stalker/neighbor/he wasn't actually sure.

Between the two men, the bottle of sake was drunk fairly quickly with Ritsu having consumed the majority. Sorata ended up on Ritsu's head sometime during dinner, his claws playing with the younger man's hair. Afterwards, Takano pulled out some sweet mochi, store bought he admitted, and Ritsu tried to not choke when Takano leaned closer, grasping his hand.

"You wanted to talk about our relationship." The black-haired male spoke quietly, not revealing any of his emotions about the topic despite having been so open about his love for Ritsu in previous encounters.

Ritsu did his head-ducking thing again, pulling away from Takano and toppling Sorata out of his hair and instead into his startled hands. "I just don't know what's going on. I'm confused and I hate this." Takano clenched his hands, which he had returned to his lap when Ritsu pulled away, trying to hide the reaction from the boy across from him.

"What in particular do you hate about us?" the older man barely kept from snarling the words, his eyes hardening as the man he loved played with Sorata's paws.

"I thought I was over you." That stopped all though in Ritsu's personal stalker's mind, leaving Takano to flounder as the brown-haired man struggled to continue despite the sake having loosened his tongue. "And I was happy…well not happy, but I was okay and then you came back and started tell me you love me. I don't know if I can trust you again after you laughed at me." The younger of the two took a short, stuttered breath, still refusing to look Takano in the eyes and with his face somewhat buried in the cat's fur, forced out "But I still love you."

Takano actually had to grab the edge of the table to keep himself from leaping across it. "Why do you keep fighting me then?"

""Because you can't just act like you do! You laughed at me when I told you I loved you the first time and now you're the one going around telling me you love me constantly! You can't laugh at me and then claim to care about me like that." Sorata made a screeching _MER-OW!_ as Ritsu accidently tossed the poor animal, getting to his feet too quickly after having drunk so much and knocking his knees into the table while almost stepping on the upset cat. "Ow..."

"Careful." Takano also got to his feet, moving to Ritsu's side and encouraging the younger to sit back down.

"You're a jerk." Ritsu curled his fingers into the front of Takano's shirt, hiding his head in the older man's shoulder. The dark-haired man couldn't be sure, but it felt like Ritsu was holding in tears with how he trembled, and Takano sighed, softly placing his hand on the back of the man he loved.

"I know." A small sniffle came from Ritsu, making the elder bite his lip for a moment before murmuring "I've always loved you. I'm sorry I hurt you."

"I hate you." At the childish voice that Ritsu had adopted, still snuggled up against Takano's side, the older of the pair had to chuckle.

"I know." The two sat there for a while, Takano slowly stroking Ritsu's back while the smaller leaned into the warmth he provided. When the elder looked down to see that Ritsu had fallen asleep, Takano gently woke him and led the brown-haired male to his bedroom, letting Ritsu collapse onto the middle of the bed with a grin.

Takano lay beside him, watching as the younger tried to find a comfortable position before coming to rest in the older's arms again. "What?" Ritsu asked sleepily, his eyes only just barely open.

"Thank you."

Ritsu cocked his head to the side slightly. "For what?" the words weren't just slurred from alcohol anymore and Takano could tell he only had a few moments before the man he loved fell asleep again.

"For giving me a second chance." The older placed a soft kiss on Ritsu's cheek and settled back down, holding Ritsu close. "I'm not letting you slip away again."

**Su: I hope that everyone has been entertained by my story. This is the first actual story that I have finished and posted, so I'm feeling quite accomplished despite its short length. Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following! I love knowing what people think, so please let me know if you haven't already. And feel free to bug Alara about her PruCan fics, cause she owes me (and by extension you all cause I'll make her post them) two new chapters!**


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